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A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong

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A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong – I – Contents PAGE TITLE 1 Message from the Chief Executive 3 1 | After the Haze 4 2 | Introduction 12 3 | The Basis of the Clean Air Plan 13 4 | Our Air Quality Management System 14 5 | Reducing Roadside Air Pollution 27 6 | Reducing Marine Emissions 33 7 | Emission Control of Power Plants 36 8 | Emission Control of Non-Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM) 37 9 | Conclusion 39 10 | Footnotes and abbreviations Message from the Chief Executive t is a priority of this Government to reduce air pollution and the associated risks to people’s health. Improving Hong Kong’s air quality is a complex exercise that requires strong understanding of environmental sciences, ability to chart evidence-based multi-disciplinary Ipolicies, effective feedback and assessment mechanisms and financial resources to take action. We are fortunate to have these conditions in place, together with the active collaboration and determination within the HKSAR Government to deliver results. I commend the Environment Bureau on presenting A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong in collaboration with the Transport and Housing Bureau, Food and Health Bureau, Development Bureau, as well as other relevant departments. CY Leung Chief Executive Hong Kong Special Administrative Region – 1 – A CLEAN AIR PLAN FOR HONG KONG Our pursuit Develop a comprehensive plan Our approach Adopt evidence-based approach to understand complexity and identify solutions Basis of plan Improve public health; and collaborate with key stakeholders including investing time in regional efforts Air quality management system Improve all aspects needed to understand, manage and review policies and measures Roadside air quality Target major emission sources, as well as use transport management and urban planning to reduce pollution Marine emissions Mandate fuel switch at berth for ocean-going vessels, use cleaner marine diesel for other vessels; and build on-shore power facilities for the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal Power generation Cap emissions from local power plants; review fuel mix and promote demand-side management to improve energy efficiency Non-road mobile machinery Regulate new machinery and existing machinery which has not been exempted – 2 – 1 | After the Haze ir quality should not be This is the basis for Hong Kong to River Delta may well be a special just a passing concern make choices, change behaviour designated Emission Control Area. – it is the envelope where necessary and upgrade A within which all our daily practices in controlling emission Also by then, our rail network will be activities take place. Air pollution from major sources, including more extensive. Commuters will find does not have to be part and parcel vehicles, vessels and power plants. their daily journeys on rail, buses and of life in Hong Kong. Strengthening We commit to engage stakeholders at inter-changes smoother and more our ability to reduce air pollution and the public regularly to share pleasant. Hybrid and electric vehicles saves billions of dollars in future knowledge and perspectives. of various types will be plying our public health care costs, missed roads in larger numbers. Many parts work days, school absences, not to In future, there will be ever more real- of the city will offer an exceptionally mention the discomfort and suffering time, on-line air quality information pleasant ambience for pedestrians, from preventable illnesses and that is locally and also nationally such as along the harbour-front, and premature death. relevant. Our goal is for Hong Kong cyclists can travel long distances to be among the best in the world along defined paths in the New Our residents are impatient for in understanding air quality so that Territories and even parts of Kowloon improvement in air quality. They we can continue to fight air pollution and Hong Kong Island. are becoming more and more aggressively. knowledgeable about the issues By 2020, regional air quality will and more and more pointed in the In two to three years, our roadside air be much improved as a result of questions they demand answers to. pollution levels will begin to drop as tighter regulation in Hong Kong and Experts and activists are helping the result of efforts to clean-up the on the Mainland for both industry to raise public awareness about city’s oldest, dirtiest vehicles kick-in. and transportation. Hong Kong will have designed effective programmes together with Guangdong to promote Our goal is for Hong Kong cleaner technologies in factories that will reduce smoggy conditions. to be among the best in Guangdong and Hong Kong are already partners in cleaning-up. We the world in understanding will see more ‘blue sky’ days not only in Hong Kong but also in Macao air quality so that we can and the Pearl River Delta. By 2030, continue to fight air pollution old behaviour will have changed – all emissions sources will be more aggressively stringently controlled throughout the region. Green and clean living will air quality and health issues, and In four to five years, our roadside have taken root. This is our pursuit. it is just a matter of time that air quality will begin to improve technologists and artists will join more significantly as the mix of the The many initiatives, schemes and hands to create easy-to-understand commercial vehicle fleet change. programmes highlighted in this “apps” for personal mobile devices By then, ships too will be using document involve many stakeholders to keep people informed about cleaner fuels while berthing, instead and also the community as a whole air quality in districts and even of continuing to burn high sulphur to step-up. We look forward to your specific pollution ‘black spots’. We bunker fuel. Before the turn of the active support to improve air quality. welcome the rise in knowledge and decade, the whole of the waters of expectation within the community. Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl – 3 – 2 | Introduction e want to first set the Delta (PRD), large population meeting the challenge of controlling stage to explain the increases and economic growth in emissions, the land-sea breeze background to Hong the entire Hong Kong-PRD region created by air circulation between WKong’s air quality had great impact on the environment, the sea and landmass in the PRD before stating the new clean air plan including air quality. Many more estuary can lead to the trapping of because the plan is designed to activities and many more people now air pollutants within the region when address our specific circumstances. share the same air-shed. wind flow is weak, thus causing very high pollution episodes. A good place to start is to consider the Hong Kong-Macao-PRD share the questions frequently asked by the public. same air-shed, home to some 60 Secondly, reducing people’s million people and is one of the exposure to air pollution will have A: How does air pollution affect world’s major industrial and logistics the greatest positive health impact. Hong Kong? zones.1 Hong Kong companies Thus, reducing roadside air pollution We need to consider both general air have significant investments in in Hong Kong makes a substantial quality and localized air quality, such manufacturing, as well as port and difference to health because a as at roadside. transport facilities in the PRD.2 In very large number of people will be other words, this is a region with high exposed to lower vehicular pollution First, greatly expanded emissions arising from a large variety on a daily basis as a result of where industrialization in the Pearl River of economic activities. In addition to they live or where they go. FIGURE 1 Land-sea breeze trapping effect in the HK-Macao-PRD region 2. Air pollutants emitted on land surface around the Pearl River Delta Estuary would slosh around in the region. 3. Air pollution level can be built up to high levels when local dispersion is weak. 1. The sun heats the land more than the water surfaces and causes air to rise over land (red) and sink over water (blue); forming the schematised circulation. Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta satellite image map – 4 – vehicular emissions. This affects not only those on the roadside and in the vehicles on that road but also all those living or working in buildings on or near congested roadways. • Recent evidence shows that Hong Kong is especially vulnerable to shipping emissions (burning of bunker fuel), which are highly toxic 3 (SO2, NOX, PM and heavy metals), because of the large number of ships releasing pollutants berthing and sailing near populated areas due to the particular shipping lanes being used4 (see Figure 21). Typical Hong Kong roadside conditions • Emissions from local power plants have been greatly reduced. Further reduction opportunities From our past experience, the and coaches) with actions bold are largely about changing the boldest actions made the greatest enough to make a difference. fuel mix of our power generation difference. In the 1990s, Hong Kong to decrease reliance on coal. banned the use of high sulphur fuels • Contributing to poor roadside air for industrial use, which brought quality is worsening congestion. • Hong Kong is also affected by immediate and significant health With vehicle speeds decreasing regional and super-regional gains; and in early-2000s, the and the number of vehicles on pollution arising from sources diesel-to-LPG switch for taxis and the road increasing, Hong Kong in Guangdong and even further public light buses (PLB) also made is running into a vicious cycle – away. Regional pollution is an a difference to roadside air quality, even as cleaner vehicles are being important factor in Hong Kong’s although much of these latter gains deployed, emissions per kilometre chronically poor air quality (O have been eroded over time as the tend to rise due to slower average 3 and PM ).
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